Business Closure Grant
From 2 November, if your business has been required to close by law or change its operations due to Covid-19 restrictions then you may be eligible for grant funding.
There are two different types of grants on offer and they will be paid every 4 weeks in arrears for as long as the restrictions last. Even if you are required to modify or close for less than 4 weeks then you are still able to apply for the grants. Payments will be dealt with by the local authority and you will not need to re-apply if restrictions are extended for another 4 weeks.
If your business is required to close by law, then you should apply for the Temporary Closure Grant, whereas if your business can remain open but is specifically required to make modifications by law, like closing earlier than normal, then you should apply for the Business Restrictions Grant.
The Temporary Closure grant will be £2,000 if the premises have a rateable value of up to £51,000 and £3,000 if the rateable value is above £51,000. If a business has multiple premises, there will be a maximum payment of £15,000 for any 4-week period.
The Business Restrictions Grant will be £1,400 if your premises have a rateable value of up to £51,000 and £2,100 if your premises have a rateable value of above £51,000. A maximum of £10,500 for a 4-week period will be available to businesses with multiple premises.
The first payment of this grant will be made on or around 30 November 2020.
Eligibility for these grants depends on where your businesses is situated and what restrictions apply in that area and you cannot apply if your business has breached wider Covid-19 regulations prior to local restrictions, has connections with tax havens or is not mentioned in the eligibility guidelines which can be found here on the Scottish Government website.
You CAN apply on behalf of your business if:
• Your business has been directly affected by restrictions.
• You have a business bank account (for the grant to be paid into).
• Your business is registered for non-domestic rates (however if you pay rates via a landlord rather than local authority you can still apply if you provide proof through a copy of the lease).
To apply for this grant, you have to go through your local authority’s website.
The applications for businesses located in the:
- Scottish Borders can be made here on the Scottish Borders Council website.
- City of Edinburgh can be made here on City of Edinburgh website
- How to apply other regions follow the link here
This support is separate from the Covid-19 Restrictions Fund which supports employees and businesses impacted by local restrictions from 9 October 2020 until 1 November 2020 and applications for this have now closed.
